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On one hand, it's great that the Semi truck was able to slow and stop without hurting anyone, after losing connection with the control center. On the other, ho

On one hand, it's great that the Semi truck was able to slow and stop without hurting anyone, after losing connection with the control center. On the other, how does this bode for an autonomous fleet of trucks that all suddenly stop somewhere along a highway? The traffic disruption could be nightmarish. And what if there was no lead vehicle to go fetch said truck in a timely manner? Also i feel like there is a lesson to learn here about how it's not just hacked servers and software that could produce these events, but a hacked or disrupted (lightening striking a utility pole) power supply could also have immediate real-world impact on these transport systems. Particularly if you dont have backup control that is distributed and redundant (or onboard the vehicle itself).

IanCal 9y ago
That all rather depends on why the connection was required, if it's a fundamental part of the planned way it'll work in the future, sure. If it's a current safety requirement while testing, it's less of an issue.
Moru 9y ago
This is the tradeoff we get with technology. It gets increasingly better with every iteration but the consequences of failure gets worse and worse. What happens with humanity if a big solarstorm comes again?
- ehnto 9y ago
  We are incredibly eager to introduce technology dependencies it seems. The idea of robustness via simplicity seems to be a mantra for individual bits of software, but we are happy to stack it all together in a teetering jenga tower of dependencies. We rave about how great it is to have a good ecosystem in a platform or language, but the word ecosystem is synonymous with complex dependency trees (ha!). Nature is definitely a more robust architect than us though. As for what I would do when it all falls apart, I would barter for a sailing boat and some paper books on how to sail, and live the life of an ocean vagabond until I inevitably perish on some island or at sea.

IanCal 9y ago

That all rather depends on why the connection was required, if it's a fundamental part of the planned way it'll work in the future, sure. If it's a current safety requirement while testing, it's less of an issue.

Moru 9y ago

This is the tradeoff we get with technology. It gets increasingly better with every iteration but the consequences of failure gets worse and worse. What happens with humanity if a big solarstorm comes again?

ehnto 9y ago
We are incredibly eager to introduce technology dependencies it seems. The idea of robustness via simplicity seems to be a mantra for individual bits of software, but we are happy to stack it all together in a teetering jenga tower of dependencies. We rave about how great it is to have a good ecosystem in a platform or language, but the word ecosystem is synonymous with complex dependency trees (ha!). Nature is definitely a more robust architect than us though. As for what I would do when it all falls apart, I would barter for a sailing boat and some paper books on how to sail, and live the life of an ocean vagabond until I inevitably perish on some island or at sea.